Another UEFA champions league campaign and another Real Madrid title! Who are going to stop these guys!? Personally it was a nice tournament for me as Arsenal were back and playing well!
It was a great tournament with many exciting matches. Borussia Dortmund defied expectations making it to the final and Manchester City failed to defend their title. In my opinion, Manchester City were the strongest team in the tournament, but sometimes the strongest team doesn’t always win. I would say the last two UCL titles (including this one) Real Madrid have won, they haven’t been the best team. But you have to hand it to them, they always find a way to win!
2024 has seen many youngsters break through and light up the footballing world. What has the 2024 UCL Topps set got for us? As a side note, I am not the biggest fan of this year’s sticker design – definitely room for improvement! But this is irrelevant to the actual players themselves.
Let’s get into the top 10!
The Topps UEFA Champions League 2023-2024 Complete Album
10 – Bukayo Saka – #59 & #65 – Rookie Sticker from Panini Tabloid Premier League 2019
Bukayo Saka has developed into one of the best wingers in the world! His playing style is shaped by his pace, dribbling skills, and decision making on the ball, making him a dangerous attacking threat. Saka is also praised for his work rate, tactical intelligence, and ability to deliver precise crosses and assists. One thing I have noticed is he he deceptively strong! He is rarely pushed off the ball, often shielding and turning players. In most cases, the only way to stop him is just by fouling him.
The 2023/24 UCL campaign saw Arsenal reach the quarter final with Saka having a great output. He 4 goals and got 4 assists, and was the main attacking threat for Arsenal. I think this is a cool sticker as it marks his first in the Champions League. I expect there to be many more to come!
9 – Oscar Gloukh – #216 – Rookie Sticker from Panini Football Stars Israeli League 2022/23
Primarily playing as an attacking midfielder, Gloukh has a keen eye for goal and is capable of finding teammates in the final third. His vision, dribbling ability, and composure in tight spaces make him a standout player in offensive positions. Despite his youth, Gloukh has shown significant promise and has become an important player for RB Salzburg and for the Israeli National Team.
Oscar is the biggest Israeli prospect, and expected to be their future talisman! It wasn’t a successful UCL campaign for Salzburg, but Gloukh was their standout player and top scorer, scoring 2 goals! A big future is ahead of this guy and this is one of his earliest stickers.
8 – Alejandro Garnacho – #330 – Rookie Sticker from Panini English Premier League 2022/23
Garnacho is one of the great hopes for Manchester United’s resurgence. He is recognised for his explosive pace, agility, and dribbling skills, which make him a real nightmare to defend against. Garnacho also possesses a keen sense of positioning and a strong shot, making him a scoring threat from the flanks. His tenacity and flair on the field have made him a promising talent, and many at United think he will go right to the top!
The 23/24 UCL campaign saw Garnacho score 1 goal and an assist. In truth, it was a poor tournament for Manchester United as they finished bottom of the group. Nonetheless, a nice sticker of an early Garnacho.
7 – Santiago Gimenez – #270 – Rookie Sticker from Panini Feyenoord Droomalbum 2022/23
Santiago Gimenez is a Mexican striker who has caught the eye of the big clubs in Europe. Known for his physical presence, strong aerial ability, and clinical finishing, Gimenez is a traditional number 9 with a keen sense for goal. He excels in holding up the ball and linking play with his teammates, demonstrating good technical skills and tactical awareness.
The 2023/24 season was a real breakout year for Gimenez, scoring 23 goals in the Eredivisie. In the UCL he scored 2 goals and assisted once. This is an interesting sticker as the Eredivisie doesn’t produce stickers, so this is his only club sticker for the year. His rookie sticker is from a Feyenoord team set.
I think an interesting sticker to pick up because he will be transferring to a big team in the 2024/25 season. Where remains to be determined.
6 – Johan Bakayoko Rookie Sticker – #592 & #597
Deployed primarily as a right winger, Bakayoko is tricky player, capable of taking on defenders with his dribbling. He possesses a good sense of positioning and is capable of delivering accurate crosses and assists, as well as contributing with goals. His agility and flair make him a constant threat and his right foot is especially dangerous.
The 2023/24 season was a personal best for Johan, scoring 12 goals in the Eredivisie, helping PSV to the league title! In the UCL he scored once and assisted once. As previously mentioned, the Eredivisie doesn’t produce sticker, so this is technically his true rookie sticker.
Like Santiago, Johan is likely to find a move abroad. Given this is his rookie, it is definitely worth keeping an eye on.
5 – Jude Bellingham – #415 & #426 & #707 – Rookie Sticker from Panini 365 2021
Jude Bellingham has already established himself as one of the world’s best players! Many thought he wasn’t going to hit the ground running upon transferring to Real Madrid, and boy did he prove everyone wrong. He has been nothing short of sensational!
Bellingham is praised for his exceptional technical skills, vision, and ability to read the game. He was already a complete midfielder, but the year has really showed his quality going forward in the big moments! Bellingham’s physicality, combined with his work rate and leadership qualities, make him a dynamic presence in midfield.
Bellingham was instrumental in Madrid’s La Liga title and the UCL title! In the UCL campaign he was on top form, scoring 4 and assisting 6 times! One moment that won’t be shown in the stats was his incredible touch and involvement in the goal in the semi-final against Manchester City. It was really something only a world class player is capable of and was reminiscent of Zidane!
A really nice sticker and his first in a Real Madrid shirt.
4 – Vinicius Junior – #424 & #13 – Rookie Sticker from Colecciones ESTE Spanish Liga 2018/19
Vinicius Junior is currently the best winger in the world and probably on track for the 2024 Ballon d’Or! Known for his explosive speed, exceptional dribbling, and flair on the wing. Playing primarily as a left winger, he excels in one-on-one situations, using his quick acceleration and agility to beat defenders. He has a keen eye for goal and is also noted for his creativity and ability to create scoring opportunities out of seemingly difficult situations.
He was, I think, the best player of the UCL campaign with 11 goal involvements. He scored 6 goals and assisted 5, with one of his goals in the UCL final! Despite these incredible numbers, his quality isn’t always captured with statistics. His dribbles and trickery strikes fear in opposition teams and often just has defenders backtracking, scared to commit to tackles.
A really nice sticker of a player at the peak of his powers!
3 – Arda Guler Rookie Sticker – #425 & #724
Arda Guler is a Turkish wonder kid known for his creativity, technical skills, and vision on the ball. Drawing comparisons to Mesut Ozil, Guler possesses excellent dribbling ability and precise passing, incredible vision. He is also capable of scoring himself, with a strong shot and good positioning in the attacking third. Despite his young age, Guler demonstrates remarkable composure and intelligence on the field.
Guler broke into the Fenerbahce side, ironically while Mesut Ozil was playing for them. Nearly every time Arda player, he produced something special and was soon called up to the Turkish National Team. After goals and assists, it wasn’t long before there was a line of big teams wanting to get his signature.
It was Real Madrid who convinced him to sign and after his first season, he has a La Liga title and a UCL title! It was a slow start for Arda as he suffered an injury and spent a lot of time on the bench, but he managed to get more playing time towards the end of the season.
In terms of the UCL campaign, Arda didn’t feature. Despite this, he has a huge future ahead and I think this rookie sticker has the potential to be a big one!
2 – Warren Zaire-Emery Rookie Sticker – #362
Warren Zaire-Emery is a top French prospect, and already a first team player for PSG! At 18 is he known for his physicality, versatility, maturity, and technical prowess. Playing primarily as a central midfielder, Zaire-Emery is recognised for his strong ball control, accurate passing, and tactical awareness. His ability to break up play defensively and contribute to the attack makes him a well-rounded midfielder.
Despite his young age, he demonstrates excellent composure and decision-making on the field. He is a ridiculous talent and had a fantastic season and UCL campaign. In the UCL, he played 11 times and was PSG’s top assister with 3 and scored a goal! Let’s just take a second and remember this guy is only 18 years old. I am personally scratching my head wondering why the whole world is ranting and raving about this guy! Maybe if he was an attacking player he would get more appreciation.
At 18, he already has 3 caps for France, the team that has been in the last 2 World Cup finals! Keep an eye on this rookie sticker as it could be an absolute monster!
1 – Lamine Yamal Rookie Sticker – #138
Lamine Yamal is the best Rookie Sticker in Topps UEFA Champions League 2023-2024
Lamine Yamal, along with Endrick, is the biggest prospect in football currently. He has lit up the footballing world with his exceptional dribbling, speed, and creativity. Primarily playing as a winger for Barcelona, Yamal excels in one-on-one situations, using his quick footwork and agility skip past defenders.
At only 16, he played 37 La Liga matches and got 10 UCL appearances. He assisted 2 times during the UCL campaign and had 36 succesful dribbles – 12th on the leaderboard. Just to make sure you didn’t read wrong, this guy is 16 years old!! I have no idea what you were doing at 16, but I was probably playing FIFA, let alone dribbling the best defenders in the world!
He has also got 2 goals for Spain in 6 appearances! To be honest, I don’t even know what to write, it’s just ridiculous. If he can stay injury free, the sky in the limit! A really top rookie sticker to pick up, only second to his Colecciones ESTE LaLiga 2023-2024 rookie sticker. In case you are new to the party, the league sticker is always better 🙂
The Other Stickers
Summary
What a top 3 to round out the top 10 list! You will have a tough time finding nicer rookies than those! I don’t think there can be any arguments on the top 2, but I always welcome them.
Let me know what you guys think by commenting below or messaging me on instagram.
Thanks for reading!